Better-biking projects range from cycletracks to river crossings

Jill Rehkopf Smith/The OregonianThe Ki-a-Kuts bike-pedestrian bridge crosses the Tualatin River, connecting parks in Tualatin, Durham and Tigard. The three cities joined with Clean Water Services to build the bridge in 2007.

Work is under way in the Portland area on a 950-mile network of regional bike-pedestrian trails that will allow bike riders to travel smoothly from, say, Sherwood to Gresham or Forest Grove to Milwaukie.

With current spending, it should be completed by 2198.

For those Washington County residents who can't wait 189 years, the county already has some bike-friendly facilities, including:

• A bike-pedestrian bridge across the Tualatin River, connecting Durham, Tualatin and Tigard

• 250 secure bike-parking spots to be installed this fall at the Sunset and Beaverton transit centers with $1 million in federal stimulus money.

Money for projects such as these comes from federal and state sources, as well as local bond measures, private businesses or foundations and system development charges.

The Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District is using $15 million in bond money to fill gaps in its regional trails by 2014. In May, the district completed a two-mile stretch of the Westside Trail that will eventually run 10 miles from Tigard to Rock Creek.

Metro's call for Active Transportation -- bicycling, walking and transit -- proposals has sparked local planners to present their best ideas for dramatically improving bicycle transportation. Many include transit connections.

Others emphasize "complete routes" combining off-road trails, shared streets, bike lanes and transit to take people from their doors to their destinations.

A Southwest Portland proposal, for example, would extend bike-pedestrian paths along Barbur Boulevard from Portland into Tigard as well as along feeder streets such as Taylors Ferry Road and the Beaverton Hillsdale Highway.

Alan ZehntbauerLarge, busy streets can hinder and discourage bike riders, as Southwest Farmington Road does for Westside Trail riders, who must detour 100 yards west to a crossing with a signal. Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District is proposing bridges across Farmington and several other roads.

The corridors would include sidewalks, bike lanes and mid-block crossings. Hillsboro would develop partnerships with local employers such as Intel, Kaiser Permanente, SolarWorld and Genentech for on-site bike parking and loaner bicycles at MAX stations.

Hillsboro's proposal also identifies possible locations for "cycletracks." Common in Amsterdam, these bikeways run alongside roads but feel safer than bike lanes because they are separated from traffic by curbs, grass or parking spaces. Portland is installing its first cycletrack this summer.

Rob BurchfieldCycletracks, such as this one in Amsterdam, place bike paths adjacent to pedestrians rather than traffic, with curbs, vegetation or parked cars separating cyclists from the road. Washington County has no cycletracks, although a wide walkway along Northeast Brookwood Parkway near the Hillsboro Airport is similar.

(Tigard officials plan to discuss whether to include cycletracks in their Transportation System Plan update, which is due next summer.)

The Tualatin Hills Park district is proposing to streamline its Westside Trail by building three bridges over Scholls Ferry Road, Farmington Road and the Sunset Highway, as well as a tunnel under the Tualatin Valley Highway -- crossings that now require clumsy detours.

Washington County, too, is proposing several bike-pedestrian bridges across long, unbroken stretches of Tualatin Valley Highway in Aloha. The county wants to create bike boulevards on some of Aloha's streets, such as Blanton, Alexander and Johnson, as an alternative to high-traffic Oregon 8.

Many proposals feature off-road trails. Tigard and Durham want to finish the Fanno Creek Trail from the Beaverton border to the Tualatin River bridge.

Forest Grove and Cornelius want to complete a 15-mile segment of the Council Creek Regional Trail, offering a safe alternative to the busy Tualatin Valley Highway from Hillsboro.

Wilsonville, Sherwood and Tualatin teamed up on a proposal to construct three separate segments of the planned 12-mile Tonquin Trail, of which less than a mile is completed.

WHAT KIND OF BIKER ARE YOU?

A 1982 survey separated Portland residents into four categories, based on their attitudes toward bicycling for transportation. More recent research and studies have supported this general breakdown, which is roughly applicable to Washington County as well, said County Commissioner Dick Schouten.

1 percent are "Strong and Fearless," willing to ride long distances on any kind of road, bike lanes or no.

7 percent are "Enthused and Confident," meaning they are comfortable in traffic with bike lanes and trips of reasonable distances. Many of these are inspired to start bicycling after seeing other cyclists out there.

30 percent are "No Way No How" going to ride a bicycle, due to hills, inability or lack of interest.

60 percent are "Interested but Concerned." These people are not comfortable in traffic, even on bike lanes, but are fine riding on quiet, low-speed streets. They had good experiences with bicycling in the past and would ride more if the paths that led to their jobs or errands were wider or safer.